Reports reaching DAILY POST has it that Kogi State governor, Captain Idris Wada, is currently under immense pressure by leaders and critical stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to step down from the forthcoming governorship primaries of the Party rescheduled to hold on Monday, 14th of September.
Sources in the party disclosed to DAILY POST that pressure is being mounted on Wada to dump his second term ambition because they are of the opinion that if he does not, he may be disgraced at the party primaries by his main challenger, Alhaji Jubrin Isah Echocho, whose camp is said to swelling by the day.
Another reason for the call is said to be the belief that the governor lacks concrete electoral value to face the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abubakar Audu, in the November 21 election, if he should be fielded by the PDP.
According to sources in Abuja last night, most of the support base Governor Wada counted on for second term have been eroded with leaders and stakeholders like former Governor, Ibrahim Idris, Billionaire businessman, Chief Jide Omokore, Chief Tunde Ayeni, Senator Smart Adeyemi and a host of others, turning their back on the embattled governor.
According to a source, who spoke to DAILY POST on telephone, former Governor, Ibrahim Idris decided to turn his back on Wada because of what he termed Wada’s affront in terminating a contract he gave to his son, Sule Idris.
According to the source, Ibro, as Ibrahim Idris is popularly known, is angry that the contract for the building of a specialist diagnostic centre in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, given to his son, was revoked. Also, the former governor was said to have accused Wada of failing to liquidate the balance of the N4 billion he spent on his election.
The decision of Idris to back out of the second term ambition of the governor is said to be a major source of worry because he is said not to have any political structure of his own but only relying on that of the former.
Speaking further, the source confided in DAILY POST that the former governor also enlisted the support of Senator Smart Adeyemi, Tunde Ayeni and Jide Omokore, who are said to be ready to break the bank for Echocho to defeat Wada at the primaries.
Another source, who spoke to DAILY POST in Abuja last night, said the postponement of the primaries from Thursday to Monday, was a big saving grace for Governor Wada, insisting that he would have been roundly defeated if the primary had held on Thursday.
The source, who is a delegate to the primaries, however said the only way the governor can avoid a defeat is for him to step down from the primaries, adding that the caliber of delegates the party is parading for the primaries are not hungry people who can be swayed by some thousands of naira.
“The truth is that we have delegates who are not hungry people or those looking for a few thousands to make them vote for a particular aspirant. Things are different this time around. No aspirant can buy our conscience; we are poised to do what is best for the party and the state.”
The source also disclosed that most of them, who are delegates, only pretend to be working for the governor because they have to be politically correct. He said they are actually all queuing behind Alhaji Jubrin Isah, who they believe can stand Abubakar Audu of the APC and defeat him.
Reacting to the pressure put on Wada to step down, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jacob Edi, told DAILY POST last night that the governor is on course with his ambition and that nothing has or can derail him.
“The governor is not under pressure at all; he is on course and will win the primaries any day it is conducted. He is not perturbed or moved by any of the propaganda making the rounds. He is focused on the task ahead,” Edi said.
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